LGBTQ : Arrests Made Over Alleged Sodomy

Two men allegedly caught having sex by a peeping tom last month are the latest victims of Uganda’s draconian anti-LGBTQ+ laws

The incident occurred during a heavy rainstorm in Kampala on the afternoon of Friday, October 20. A student sought shelter from the downpour on the veranda of a salon when he heard sounds coming from within the salon.

“It was at this point that the student heard funny screaming sounds inside the salon,” Fred Enanga, a spokesperson for the Uganda Police, told reporters on Monday, October 23. “The student picked up his phone and recorded the two suspects in the act of sodomy.”

The student subsequently alerted security guards at a nearby gas station who in turn called police. The two men were arrested later the same day and have remained in custody.

The Anti-Homosexuality Act was signed into law by President Yoweri Museveni in May. People found to be “engaging in acts of homosexuality” face up to life in prison. The law also calls for the death penalty for “aggravated homosexuality” which refers to people living with HIV engaging in same-sex sexual relations and repeat offenders.

The law met with widespread international opposition. Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre described the act as “deeply concerning” before it was signed into law

The World Bank cut off new funding for Uganda in August over the law.

“Uganda’s Anti-Homosexuality Act fundamentally contradicts the World Bank Group’s values,” the World Bank said in a statement at the time. “We believe our vision to eradicate poverty on a livable planet can only succeed if it includes everyone irrespective of race, gender, or sexuality. This law undermines those efforts. Inclusion and non-discrimination sit at the heart of our work around the world.”

Despite the widespread international criticism, Uganda authorities have continued to arrest men suspected of engaging in same-sex sexual relations.

In August, a 20-year-old man became the first person to face the death penalty under the law after he allegedly performed what prosecutors described as “unlawful sexual intercourse” with a 41-year-old man with diminished mental capabilities.